


There Is No 'Us' Without U

by vernonsgf



Series: They Are Three, Not Two [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: But mostly fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, but it's jeongcheol and jihan in tandem with cheolsoo so it's ok, insecure joshua, u kno I promised myself I wouldn't write jeongcheol or jihan but here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 19:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7586953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vernonsgf/pseuds/vernonsgf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeonghan is the roots, the most vulnerable part, Seungcheol is the stem, supporting everything, and Joshua is the petals, showing themselves to the world and offering up the most colour and complexity. Not one is something that the others can thrive without, and Joshua knows that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There Is No 'Us' Without U

Surprisingly, it all starts with Joshua. When it comes to the three of them, most things start with Joshua. Their first date, their first kiss, their first shared apartment, he’s the starting point for all of it. Even though he’s spent the majority of his life hiding in shadows and never speaking, whenever he’s with Seungcheol and Jeonghan, his entire world shifts. He feels like a brand new person, someone with a bold heart and more courage than would ever be necessary. Joshua feels alive when he’s with them. Which is why, when Seungcheol and Jeonghan start to act more like SeungcheolandJeonghan than SeungcheolandJeonghanandJoshua, Joshua starts to retreat into himself.

He finds comfort in crawling into one of the empty beds in the apartment, rather than the giant bed in his own room that the three of them share. He cuddles into the pillows, breathing in the very subtle scent of whomever’s room he’s decided to invade. It’s not long before Jeonghan or Seungcheol finds him like that, having woken up in the middle of the night to a bed that felt not as full as it should. Joshua wakes up in between the two, with their arms wrapped around his middle and his head resting on Seungcheol’s chest while Jeonghan cuddles up to him from behind, before going back to sleep with a smile on his face. They know exactly how to treat him when he feels neglected, and they know that they have to be patient with him but show him that they love him as much as they love each other.

Joshua wakes up in the morning, to lips on his cheek and someone whispering in his ear.

“Wake up, Joshua.” It’s Seungcheol. Joshua shakes his head, burrowing his face into Seungcheol’s chest, earning himself a giggle. “You’re so cute. Okay, we can stay here for a little while longer.”

Joshua smiles, wrapping his arms around Seungcheol’s waist as he sighs, his breath fanning over Seungcheol’s exposed skin.

“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Joshua asks, his voice groggy and muffled.

“Are you complaining?” Seungcheol challenges.

“No.” Joshua smiles and presses a kiss to one of Seungcheol’s ribs.

They find themselves falling into a light sleep, their arms wrapped around each other as the smell of breakfast foods wafts through the room. The slumber that they’ve found is disrupted when Jeonghan opens the door and wanders in, settling himself at the foot of the bed.

“Seungcheol, you were supposed to wake him up not go back to sleep.” Jeonghan says, uprooting the blankets from where they’re tucked underneath the mattress. He reaches into the warm cocoon to grab Seungcheol’s feet, pulling him down away from his pillows.

“He didn’t want to wake up. And he smiled at me, you know how weak I am.” Seungcheol says. He presses a kiss to Joshua’s forehead, now that they’re eye-level and he can reach Joshua’s forehead comfortable.

“Joshua?” Seungcheol mumbles. Joshua groans in protest, wiggling around on the bed and finding his way into Seungcheol’s side again. Seungcheol gives Jeonghan a pointed look.

“Baby,” Jeonghan starts, crawling up the bed to Joshua’s side. He pulls Joshua into his lap, sitting him upright and resting his head on his shoulder. “You have to wake up. We have plans, remember? You wanted to go see a movie and Minghao’s coming over.”

“Are you not wearing a shirt either? Why am I the only one wearing a shirt?” Joshua asks, a pout gracing his lips and his mind still half asleep, completely ignoring anything Jeonghan had said.

“Do you want your shirt off?” Jeonghan asks, already starting on the buttons. Joshua swats his hands away.

“No. Then I’ll be cold.” Joshua grumbles, stumbling out of Jeonghan’s grip and standing up. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Is quiche okay?” Jeonghan asks, leaning back into Seungcheol, who’s sat up in bed and wrapped his arms around Jeonghan’s waist. Joshua eyes the fingers that graze over Jeonghan’s bare abdomen, willing away the jealousy that rumbles in his stomach.

It’s not often that Joshua feels like this, but he does get insecure from time to time, thinking that Jeonghan and Seungcheol would be better off without him. He finds himself watching the little things that they do together, without him. He has days where he thinks he’s getting better, where watching Jeonghan press loving kisses to Seungcheol’s bare shoulders makes him grin and sends butterflies flying through his stomach, but there are days like these where he find the smallest things will set him off. Jeonghan and Seungcheol always catch the warning signs early.

“Yeah, as long as you didn’t use the tart shell I was saving for my pie.” Joshua mutters, wrapping his arms around himself. He’s wearing boxers and Seungcheol’s button up shirt, but he feels exposed.

Jeonghan smiles, standing up and placing his hands on Joshua’s shoulders. “Of course not. I went out and bought one. And I bought you blueberries while I was at it.” Jeonghan says. He leans down to kiss Joshua, a brief kiss that’s filled with love and affection. The corners of Joshua’s mouth turn up in a small smile.

“I didn’t even know you knew how to make quiche.” Seungcheol calls out after Jeonghan who’s already left the room in favour of setting up dishes in the kitchen.

Seungcheol stands up, throwing the covers off of himself. He takes Joshua’s face in his hands and presses his lips to his forehead. Joshua smiles again, the same smile that never quite reaches his eyes but means he’s trying.

“I’m gonna go take a shower. Go spend time with Jeonghan, okay? I love you.” Seungcheol says. Joshua nods, a surge of confidence spreading through his body that causes him to push forward and cover Seungcheol’s lips with his.

“I love you, too.” Joshua says when he pulls away, the grin on Seungcheol’s face making him feel warm.

Joshua shuffles into the kitchen, his slippers making more noise against the hardwood floor than he intends. Jeonghan smiles when he sees him, motioning for him to take a seat at their table. They eat breakfast together, Jeonghan’s thumb trailing over Joshua’s knuckles. This hand holding makes it hard for them to eat, but they manage. Jeonghan tells him about his day before, the lectures that he had to sit through and the insufferable professors. Joshua listens to it all with a smile on his face. When they hear the water from the shower cut off and Seungcheol returns, shirtless with water dripping from the ends of his hair onto his torso, Jeonghan collects their plates and places them in the sink.

“Baby, rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. I don’t want to have to do it when we get home.” Joshua whines. Jeonghan obliges with a simple nod of his head, even though he’d protest on most days.

Seungcheol wraps his arms around Joshua’s waist as he stands from his seat, the droplets of water on his skin staining Joshua’s–Seungcheol’s–white button up. Seungcheol presses his lips into the crevices of Joshua’s neck, murmuring incoherent words of adoration into the skin. Joshua turns in his arms, resting his own on Seungcheol’s shoulders, laced loosely around his neck. Seungcheol smiles at this.

“I love you, Shua. We both do.” Seungcheol says. Joshua knows that it serves more purpose than just an everyday proclamation of love, it’s supposed to make him feel better. Make him remember that they’re three, not two. That they’re not going to let him stand to the side while they love each other.

“I know.” Joshua sniffles. He doesn’t remember when he started crying.

“And you know that I wouldn’t have this any other way, right? There is no ‘us’ without you here.” Seungcheol says. A pair of hands makes it’s way to rest on Joshua’s hips, under his shirt, resting on his flesh and making his skin tingle. Joshua nods.

“I love you. So much.” Jeonghan says. He presses a kiss to the back of Joshua’s neck. “You’re like the magnet that brought us all together, and we’re here as long as you want us to be.”

Jeonghan’s hair is hanging in his face when Joshua turns to look at him. Joshua leans forward to kiss him, the taste of salt from his tears and the sweet that is so characteristically Jeonghan combining on his tongue. Seungcheol trails kisses down Joshua’s neck from behind, eliciting a whimper from his throat. They stop, and Joshua takes a moment to breathe.

“I love you both. I know you’ve told me not to apologize but I’m sorry for,” He pauses. “Whatever it is that’s wrong with me that’s making me this way.”

There are tears trailing down Jeonghan’s face, always the most empathetic of the three. Seungcheol holds them both in his arms, refusing to cry so that he can someone reliable for them to lean on in their times of need. These are their continuing roles: Jeonghan is the roots, the most vulnerable part, Seungcheol is the stem, supporting everything, and Joshua is the petals, showing themselves to the world and offering up the most colour and complexity. Not one is something that the others can thrive without, and Joshua knows that.

“Minghao’s coming over, right? We should change. I don’t think he would appreciate walking in on the three of us standing in the middle of the kitchen in our underwear.” Seungcheol says. Joshua had always said that he liked it when they could just put these fits behind them, especially once he was feeling better and it was all over. Jeonghan laughs, watery giggles that escape his lips and land gracefully on Joshua’s skin.

“He can help me make pie.” Joshua says, giggling as well.

They walk hand in hand back to Joshua’s room, Joshua stealing another one of Seungcheol’s shirts and spraying himself with Jeonghan’s cologne so that he can smell like both of them, a constant reminder that they are three, not two, and that they’re always with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I didn't get Joshua quite right in this but w/e


End file.
